You guys should have watched us today, and saw that there are some bright spots.Right now we aren't even in the playoff picture, but the coming back of Dirk, the chemistry building of the team and finally finding a groove has made us a better team than what we were a few weeks back.

We need to make a trade and get a defensive minded Center who can box out and rebound, and if we are successful in doing that (hopefully getting rid of Kaman while doing that).. than how far do you think we can go?

If OJ continues to Juice it, DIrk gets back to who he is, Collison doing his thing, Marion being solid... and bench with the likes of Brand and Vince... I seriously believe we can make the playoffs, and maybe even make some noise there.

I think Sky's the Limit for the Mavs, and I believe we will make the playoffs, specially considering how the other teams are going down (the seventh to ninth seeds)..

branny wrote:A trade for a guy like Dalembert could turn out to be very good.

Dalembert instead of Kaman is just one step. The Mavericks really need a player who can control the ball, make the right plays while being able to throw an post entry pass. Maybe the Bucks are interested in an exchange, Kaman+Beaubois for Dalembert+Udrih, that would give the Bucks the post scoring presence they are looking for, while the Mavericks getting a defensive C and a point guard who can solve some of their problems at least for 24 mpg.

Mr Grant Hill wrote:I think it's too late.17-24 record.How many wins do you need for that 8th seed? 45?Mavs would need a 28-13 record from now on.I don't see it.

Well, the interesting thing is that the Mavericks since Nowitzki started played like a +4.6 team. And if we add that Nowitzki's scoring efficiency is down while assuming he could score at career average efficiency, we can add another 2.4 ppg. That scoring difference would suggest a team going 30-11 over that stretch. The only part which makes that a bit fishy is the fact that 3 of their opponents were on the backend of a b2b on the road (Memphis, Minnesota and Houston) ...

As a Mavs fan, I'll say we'll be lucky to make the Playoffs this year. We need a point guard first and foremost. Then we need at least one more good defender. Then we may need a Center. I think Brand is doing fine. There are only like three or four players on the Mavs that are playing decently. The rest can be traded for whatever anyone wants.

I see them battling it out with my Lakers. You can count Minny out bc of injuries and Portland will likely collapse due to extreme fatigue and no desire to trade JJ for bench players (who has cooled off from his hot stretch)

I want them to make the playoffs because as someone who has spent multiple years living in Germany, Dirk has really grown on me and it'd be terrible for his legacy. At the same time, if it's at the expense of LAL then hell no pls stay out

OT - I really like Durant but the fact that he gets bailed out by the refs so much is really, really f***ing annoying. They treat him as if he had Iverson-like weight

The 7th and 8th seeds are up for grabs but there are a lot of teams that will be vying for that and it really all depends on the deals made at the trade deadline. For example if the Jazz move one of Al or Milsap for some younger guys or picks, they may drop down a little bit and miss the playoffs... The Blazers are a team thats built to tail off (im not hating im just saying what I see). They have a rookie point guard who has played a ton of minutes now that is primed to slump near the end of the season like a lot of rookies often do, then you have absolutely no bench to pick him up. If they were to trade Hickson or someone for depth they would be losing a lot because they only have 5 solid players. The Rockets are swindlers, they will likely make moves at the deadline...

The pace to make it to the playoffs in the West is the lowest in the past decade, right now the Blazers are 20-19 which equates to about 42-40 record over the season. The Mavs have played half the season now and are on pace for 34 wins. They have there best player back in action now though so it wouldnt be hard to believe that they could finish strong but they would have to go what 25 and 16 to make it in? Thats do-able but they will need some breaks to go there way and win on some trades...